My Michiru
by landofthekwt
Summary: The story of Michiru's friendship with Chihaya in middle school. I do not own or profit from Chihayfuru or the Chihayafuru middle school light novels
1. Don't Talk to Chihaya

Michiru had been warned. "Don't talk to Ayase,she only wants to talk about karuta" The word had circulated through the ranks of the girls at lightning speed. One day Ayase had been part of the class. The next she was shunned. Talking to the shunned meant being shunned yourself

Michiru did understand the rules. Not that she cared. She only knew Ayase by name. Ayase was not a friend for whom she would risk her own future in middle since she was the class representative Such responsibilities could not be taken lightly

Today her duties as class rep came into conflict Ayase had absent for the last week. It was Michiru's job as class representative to take handouts to sick people so that they would not gall behind the rest of the class because of their illness.

Michiru took her duties seriously. No matter the ban on communication with Ayase she was there as an official representative of her class No one would blame her for doing her duty. Just hand the papers to Ayase and leave. That was Michiru's plan.

The woman who answered the door was stunning. In her thirties, she looked like an actress pretending to be a housewife. Michiru was ushered to Chihaya's bedroom. A huge man dressed in scrubs was bent over Chihaya's bed

"Chihaya. What is wrong? You are not sick."

Chihaya stared at Harada" Taichi did not come"

Harada sighed. "We talked about this after the last tournament. He commutes 1 1/2 hours to school. After school he plays soccer and has cram school He has no time for karuta. He told you this before after he made Class B."

Chihaya peeked out " There is no one to play. No one at school will play me. No one at school will talk to me because of karuta. Now there is no one at your club to play with Taichi gone I spend all my time by myself. I can't come in the evenings when the adults show up."

Dr Harada handed her an energy drink " I can't prescribe medicine because you are not sick Keep practicing. You can still play in local tournaments."

Dr Harada was startled when he turned to leave. Michiru took it as her cue to explain the assignments to Chihaya. Chihaya did not even respond to her efforts Michiru laid the assignments on Chihaya's desk, bowed and retreated , unsure how to respond.

She found the doctor outside talking to Chihaya's mother. They left together The doctor paused outside indicating that he wanted to talk to her. Michiru if anything was always respectful of authority. She had seen the respect that Chihaya and her mother held for him Sensei fit him perfectly.

Harada began "MIss, does Chihaya have any friends at school?"

MIchiru found that she could not hide the truth " Ayase is being shunned at school. The word is 'Don't talk to Chihaya,she only wants to talk about karuta. ' If you talk to her, you risk being shunned yourself"

"And yet you came and delivered Chihaya's assignments"

"I knew that I was immune because I was a class representative doing my duty"

The doctor stared at her " When I first met Chihaya, she was a happy little girl who loved to play karuta with her friends. Those friends moved on and now Chihaya is alone without anyone to play karuta with her. What happened to her at school"

Michiru replied "I am told that she pestered people incessantly about playing karuta until the current shunning campaign began. The teacher have forced her to give up her headphones and she can no longer put the cards on her desk"

"Is there no one to play with her at school?"

"Ayase has not found anyone to play with. We do not have a karuta club Plus people who might want to play with her are actively discouraged from doing so."

Dr Harada thought for a minute "Do you know anyone who might play karuta with her?"

Michiru thought for minute "There are a couple in the track and field club that I am in who play a form of karuta which is not competitive."

"Could you talk to them about playing with Chihaya? She has changed so much since she entered 7th grade, I hardly recognize her. From happy and friendly, she has became scared and withdrawn. Most of all she needs a friend. From what you told me, she does not have any"

MIchiru was wondering where this conversation was going she had intended merely to do her job Suddenly she was being asked to find opponents for the class pariah. Not that she did not sympathize wtih Ayase. Bullying was was the worst form of bullying because you could not fight it

She was startled by Dr Harada's parting words" Reach out to her and Chihaya will be your best friend for life.".

She bowed to the doctor and replied " I will consider it" The Doctor smiled and walked away leaving MIchiru to wander what she had herself into


	2. Chi-chan

Michiru panicked when she heard that Inaba had stopped playing karuta with Chihaya. Chihaya worked so hard to create this relationship. Had gone through so many hardships just to play Inuaba. For it to end now might be too much for Chihaya to bear.

Michiru's seacch for karuta friends started with Dr. Harada's naming her as Chihaya's friiend. Michiru had takenthe commission out of a sense of day. Later, the school has assigned her to watch over Chihaya as a troublemaker due to her placing illegal karuta invitations. All part of her duty as class representative.

Michiru did know someone who played karuta. Inaba was a 9th grader who was also a member of the track and field club which MIchiru was a member. Inaba had suffered a leg injury and was unable to run. The perfect fit with Chihaya.

Except Chihaya ran into her first. The confrontation in the hallway almost destroyed Michiru's plan Chihaya saved the day by retrieving Inaba's crutch from a tree where it had blown. Chihaya revealed the true tomboy she was

Inaba's gratefulness and Chihaya's genuineness brought the two of them together. It gave Inaba something to do and filled Chihaya's need to play karuta. It seemed like a win/win but the results went from bad to worse in a very short period of time.

Inaba wanted to play with only the love poems which were her favorites. Because of her leg she could only play on table not the floor. Chihaya's use of her sweeps caused the table to fall on Inaba breaking her leg and sending her to the hospital.

Chihaya's actions angered Inaba's friend Yamabe who was also a member of the track and field team. In her view it was Chihaya's fault that Inaba was injured She tried to exclude Chihaya from seeing Inaba. It was only when Chihaya was able to tie Yamabe in the 200 meter dash that Yamabe acknowledged Chihaya and allowed Inaba to retire from track and field and play with Chihaya again.

Now that was all over. The precious karuta friends that Chihaya has recruited could no longer play with her Inaba and Yamabe as 9th graders had to prepare for High School entrance exams. Chihaya would again be left alone no one with whom to play karuta.  
Michiru reached the classroom that Inaba and Yamabe just left Michiru found Chihaya crying on the desk. The tears touched the karuta cards which were still spread out on the table. Michiru had no doubt in her mind what she should do.

In the beginning Chihaya had been a duty. First delivering printouts. Then taking down her placards from the bulletin board. She became a friend. Someone whom Chihaya could go shopping with and do all the none karuta things that friends did.

She tried to accommodate Chihaya's need for karuta by finding her karuta friends from her own track and field team. Chihaya literally ran with that idea. Bending over backwords to accommodate Inaba's needs and wants Even if meant competing with the best in the track team to show Yamabe that she was truly sorry for what happened to Inaba.

All that was in the past Yamabe and Inaba were gone. Chihaya was alone again. Michiru felt a sudden tug. Chihaya was not alone. Michiru was her friend. Even though Michiru did not play karuta she could everything that a friend did for another friend.

Michiru walked over to Chihaya and pulled her into her arms. Chihaya began to cry on Michiru's shoulder. Michiru burst into tears. She began to say "Chi-chan Chi-chan Chi-chanas she hugged Chihaya.

Chihaya looked at her. No one had called her Chi-chan since she left elementary school. In those days she had lots of friends. It reiminded her of happier days. Even though Michiru was her only friend and did not play karuta, Chihaya was filled with warmth as long as she had Michiru she would never be alone again.


	3. Study Buddies

Michiru shook her head. Chihaya was actually studying. She was not sure when Chihaya transformed,but somehow she knew that it had something to do with herself. The rest remained a mystery. It began just after they filled out their career paths.

That was the first time Michiru became aware that Chihaya wanted to be Queen. Chihaya would put down Queen every time When Michiru asked why she put down Queen,Chihaya told her that the person who taught her to play karuta told her that she could be Queen the best female player in the world. It inspired her to play karuta and guided all her life decisions.

Michiru was sure that Chihaya's newfound study habits had something to do with karuta,but she was not sure what the connection was. Chihaya had been scolded for putting down Queen,but she came out the session with teacher beaming. Obviously, she had come up with a scheme to further her dream of playing karuta.

The first question out of Chihaya's mouth was what high school Michiru was gong to attend When Michiru responded 'Mizusawa',Chihaya nodded. Michiru knew that she had missed something so she asked Chihaya why she wanted to attend Mizusawa since Chihaya did not fit the Mizusawa image of a serious intelligent Todai bound student.

Chihaya's logic shocked and astounded her. Chihaya in her karuta warped mind figured that smart people who played karuta would go to Mizusawa which was a Todai feeder school. When Chihaya was talking about smart people she was specifically talking about Michiru and Taichi the smartest people she knew. There at Mizusawa she would find the karuta friends that she was lacking in middle school. All she had to do was get into Mizusawa.

While getting into Mizusawa was going to be easy for Michiru,for Chihaya it would be easier to pull a camel through the eye of a needle. It did help that she and Michiru were friends. Even though Chihaya still had karuta and Michiru still had track,there were times when the two of them could study together.

Michiru could see the results. Chihaya told her that her mother was under the impression that she was raising her grades to get her attention. Little did she know that it all had to do with karuta Michiru did not care Chihaya was her friend Even though her motivation for studying was different from hers so long as they studied together they would be together six years from now at Mizusawa.

Chihaya had entrusted her future to Michiru. No matter viewed that Chihaya viewed being Queen as her only goal No matter that finding karuta friends to play with would prevent Michiru from being with her in the future. Michiru was a true friend who would help Chiahaya achieve her goals even though goals might separate her from Chihaya in the end. A friend thought first about what was best for her friend not just about her own time for her friend She wondered if Chihaya would ever realize that and appreciate what she was doing for her. She was after all Chihaya and that was what Michiru loved about her


	4. On Track

Michiru and the rest of the 3rd years bowed to the track club. Their time in middle school track had actually come to an end. Their coach led the rest of team in returning their bow. Tomorrow there would be no club activities for the first time in three years.

It would be nice if they could participate in the spring interhis,but their priorities were now on passing high school entrance exams. Michiru looked around for Chihaya The two of them had already signed up for cram school together.

She and Chihaya were both aiming for Mizusawa. That meant tough sledding ,but Chihaya had surprised her already by keeping her grades at an acceptable level for Mizusawa. Studying together and running together made them best friends.

To think Chihaya thought only about karuta when she first met her. It had been the race with Yamabe that caught the attention of her coach. Chihaya had tied with Yambe in a 200 meter race dressed in her uniform. The coach nagged Michiru to get Chihaya to join the track club

Eventually Chihaya gave in the fall of their freshman year and joined the track club. Michiru had been surprised that Chihaya gave up after school and weekend karuta to run track. When Michiru asked she said that she was training for karuta with the starters gun and the exercise

Michiru accepted Chihaya's explanation at face value. It was still hard to believe that someone who was such a karuta baka that noone but Michiru would befriend her She was just happy that Chiahaya had chosen to be Michiru's side.  
Chihaya still might not like track and field but she was good at it. Her times gained her a lot of respect from the coaches and her teammates. The tema benefited because they knew that Chihaya was there to win the sprints in most dual meets and anchor the relays.

The last year they made it all the way to the Tokyo Middle School Championship with Chihaya leading the way. Michiru had enjoyed being with Chihaya and considered Chihaya her best friend. This was not goodbye. They would spend months at cram school now so that they could spend the next three years at Mizusawa together.

Chihaaya had grown up. When she met Chihaya she was a little girl sick in bed. Now she was a confident young lady. The tomboy was still there in that track suit, but growing her hair out changed her into a beautiful woman.

Chihaya hugged Michiru "Thank you for being my friend. You were there when I could not find any karuta friends Without you I would have been totally alone."

The two of them cried together Michiru was surprised that Chihaya thought of her as her only friend. It was too bad that their time in track was ending,but a bright future lay ahead at Mizusawa. Together they would boldly go into that future hand in hand.


	5. On To Mizusawa

Michiru stared at the board where the numbers of those who passed the Mizusawa entrance exam were posted. She had no doubt in her mind that she had passed. The question was whethe Chihaya passed.

Chihaya reached and grabbed Michiru's hand. Three years of studying. Six months of cram school. No karuta since she started running track All to find a school where she could find a karuta friend.

As much she loved Michiru that had been the reason she chose Mizusawa. Michiru was her best friend. Studied with her Shopped with her . Ran track with her But Michiru did not play karuta

Chihaya had studied like crazy just to get into a school where she might find karuta friends. She had run track which she was good at simply because no one but Michiru would talk to her The coach tried to get her a recommendation to a sports school.

Chihaya rejected that As much as she loved Michiru she did not love track. She wanted to spend the next three years playing karuta not running track. Michiru did not know. Chihaya had not told her.

Michiru gasped and pointed. Chihaya looked where she was pointing There was her number. She had made it to Mizusawa home of her karuta friends. There was no one to play in middle school, but in MIzusawa all she had to do was post a club notice and they would come running to her. She knew what happened in middle school,but it was a new day A new school

Chihaya reached out and hugged Michiru " Thank you for helping me reach MIzusawa Without your help I would not have made it Thank you for being my friend when no one else would talk to me. Thank you for inviting me to track club."

Michiru blushed " Thank you Chihaya, it was fun running track with your and studying with you. Now we can spend the next three years together"

The two good friends said goodbye to each other at graduation. These three years had passed so quickly Still they would see other again as soon as spring break was over. As Michiru said goodbye, Chihaya headed for Dr Harada's karuta club.

She had spent the last two years runing track With track finished, it was time to move up a class in karuta Chihaya had a good feeling. There was a Class C tournament over spring break. She had not moved up in class since her freshman year when she quit karuta for track.

It was time for a change. She was no longer a track star. Chihaya intended to make her mark in the karuta world Her goal was still to be queen Michiru had always kidded her about that as her career on the career goals, but she was a karuta player and the only way to be Queen was by becoming a Class A player. Class B was simply a stepping stone on her way there.

Michiru stared at the email from Chihaya " Won Class C karuta tournament . See you Monday" She was not sure what the new year would bring. Karuta meant nothing to Michiru. She knew the pain that it caused Chihaya in the past and hoped that Chihaya had put it behind her.

Michiru sighed It had been hard taking care of Chihaya when she could not play karuta. Being a friend was hard work Especially when she knew that Chihaya would rather have been playing karuta. She hoped that Chihaya had gotten over karuta, but apparently not. Hopefully, the two of them would enjoy the next three years just as much they had the previous three.

Chihaya stared at Michiru's congratulations in reply to her email. She realized that Michiru wa the only reason she survived middle school. The only reason she made it into MIzusawa. Michiru The person who gave her everything and demanded nothing It was lucky that she had found a best friend like Michiru. Whatever happened at Mizusawa she knew that Michiru was someone she could always depend on to be her friend


End file.
